DFER NJ Applauds Governor Christie’s Signing of TEACHNJ

Democrats for Education Reform New Jersey Applauds
Governor Chris Christie’s Signing of TEACHNJ

Signing of TEACHNJ Act a Historic Day for New Jersey

Trenton, NJ, August 6, 2012—Democrats for Education Reform New Jersey released the following statement from State Director Kathleen Nugent regarding today’s signing by Governor Chris Christie of the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act.

“Today is a historic day in New Jersey. Following unanimous passage in the Legislature, Governor Chris Christie signed TEACHNJ, a policy that will help ensure all students have an effective teacher leading their classroom — the single most important factor in student educational achievement. TEACHNJ will support the recruitment, development, and retention of the best teachers possible, a critical step for progress on education reform in New Jersey and across the country.

Bill sponsor Senator Teresa Ruiz has led 18 months of research, discussion, and consensus-building to produce a final product that will result in a reformed tenure system of which students, educators, parents, elected officials, and stakeholders statewide can be truly proud. We applaud Senator Ruiz’s tremendous leadership from the first public discussion of tenure reform in her Senate Education Committee in December 2010 to the unanimous passage this past June. We also applaud Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver for engaging in this critical issue, and recognize the strong efforts of Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, Assemblyman Albert Coutinho, and Assemblyman Troy Singleton who also drove the process.

Democrats for Education Reform praises three key provisions within TEACHNJ, which will strengthen our schools, support our teachers, and put student success above all else:

  • First, TEACHNJ will fundamentally strengthen tenure in New Jersey by tying its acquisition and retention to demonstrated effectiveness in the classroom.
  • Second, TEACHNJ will create significant professional development support for teachers and school leaders in order to ensure resources target individual needs and foster the greatest possible increased student achievement.
  • And third, TEACHNJ will dramatically reduce the time and costs for tenure challenges while ensuring due process and protecting employee rights in a responsible way.

The success of our students and of our state depends on a first-rate system of public education, and TEACHNJ will strengthen New Jersey’s ability to provide the highest quality education possible in all of our classrooms – a historic day indeed.”

Democrats for Education Reform Applauds Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s Determination to Save Public Education

 

Democrats for Education Reform Applauds Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s Determination to Save Public Education

The following statement was issued today by Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform:

“Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Frank Jackson is absolutely right that bold action is needed today to save public education. In addition to offering greater opportunities for students in his city, Mayor Jackson is making a case to taxpayers that public education is worth saving and that it won’t be business-as-usual under his watch. The public has long told us that it is more than willing to support public education when leaders like Mayor Jackson make a convincing case that we are making the kinds of bold changes that are necessary to improve outcomes for students. Without this kind of visionary leadership, public education in Cleveland can be expected to continue to spiral downward with little support from taxpayers.”

 

DFER Applauds Effort to Reform Teacher Tenure System in NJ

Public Hearing on TEACHNJ Act a Promising First Step

On Monday, March 5th, Democrats for Education Reform New Jersey released the following statement from State Director Kathleen Nugent regarding the NJ Senate Education Committee hearing on SB1455, the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act.

“New Jersey’s current tenure laws are out of date, costly, and inefficient. What’s worse, they don’t consider a teacher’s impact on student achievement, disrespecting the teaching profession and not placing the needs of students first. Data shows that in one year the top five percent of teachers can impart a year and a half’s worth of learning to their students; during the same year the weakest five percent of teachers impart only half a year’s worth of material to their students. Our children deserve better.

“TEACHNJ will drastically improve the way districts and schools in New Jersey evaluate and support teachers. The Act calls for the creation of a new teacher evaluation system that will identify great teachers, support struggling teachers, and in the case of persistent failure, remove ineffective teachers. Tenure decisions and staff reductions will be based on effectiveness rather than seniority, as they have been for far too long.

“We know that the single most important factor in a child’s academic success is whether or not she or he has an excellent teacher in the classroom. We applaud Senator Ruiz for her recognition of that fact and strong leadership as she takes a bold step toward improving education for all of our state’s children. New Jersey – with one of the largest achievement gaps in the United States – has the opportunity now to set a national example if the legislature leads us to an improved system. This is good policy for teachers, it is good policy for children, and it is good policy for the future of our state.”

DFER Releases Statement in Support of Governor Cuomo’s Proposed School District Grants to Reward Performance Improvement and Management Efficiencies

DFER Releases Statement in Support of Governor Cuomo’s Proposed School District Grants to Reward Performance Improvement and Management Efficiencies

New York, NY, March 14, 2012 – Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) today released the following statement from New York State Director Elizabeth Ling in support of Governor Cuomo’s performance-based grant proposal:

“With his proposal to promote the development of new, innovative approaches in our state’s public education system, Governor Cuomo continues his push to make New York’s government work better for our citizens. The Governor’s proposed $250 million performance-based grant program will reward school districts that demonstrate success in getting students to learn, or in finding ways to run their operations more effectively.

With this small pot of funding – only 1% of the state’s $20.3 billion education budget — the initiative will encourage new ideas and practices at the local level, which can eventually be shared across school districts to make our overall public education system stronger. This is no less than what every resident of our state deserves, and should expect, with our hard-earned tax dollars. In the current proposal, district needs will rightly be considered in determining awards.

At this time, when each dollar of education funding counts, New York cannot continue its historical approach of doing ‘business as usual,’ as advocated by special interests such as the Alliance for Quality Education and its primary backer, NYSUT. Despite the fact that our public schools spend more money per pupil than those in any other state, New York remains at the bottom of the pack. In fact, our state currently ranks 38th in the nation in terms of graduation rates.

With this innovative program, which could yield outsized results in the form of new ideas and progress, the Governor is showing us that we shouldn’t accept the status quo. Just as we work to raise the level of student learning, we can also expect the adults in the system to do better.”

DFER STATEMENT ON H.R. 2218 – THE “EMPOWERING PARENTS THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT”

H.R. 2218 – “EMPOWERING PARENTS THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS” – IS A GOOD START
BUT CLOCK IS TICKING ON OTHER ESSENTIAL – AND OVERDUE – EDUCATION REFORMS

Democrats for Education Reform strongly supports the bipartisan Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 2218) that will be marked up today in the House Education and Workforce Committee. H.R. 2218 includes important provisions that allow high-quality public charter schools to serve more students and that incentivize states to expand and replicate high-performers. The bill also rightly compels states to ensure that public charter schools meet their obligations to English Language Learners and students with disabilities, and makes important improvements with regard to reporting, oversight, and accountability.

“Right now in Atlanta, thousands of public charter school parents, teachers, and administrators from across the country are sharing what they have learned and charting their course for the future,” said Charles Barone, DFER Director of Federal Policy about the National Charter Schools Conference where President Clinton, who signed the first federal charter school bill into law in 1994, spoke yesterday and was given a hero’s welcome.

“The charter school movement is made-up of the most can-do, have done, group of parents, teachers, and school reformers you’re ever likely to meet. Only the wrong-headed or hard-hearted would do anything other than give them as much help and support as humanly possible.”

We are disappointed that the bill lowers the authorized funding levels for federal charter schools programs from the $450 million level in current law. We do, however, appreciate that the $300 million authorization in H.R. 2218 is at least higher than the current $256 million in actual funding. While it would take a much higher increase to serve all children across the country who are on charter school waiting lists, we appreciate this small step forward and hope to work with Congress throughout the legislative process to ensure that we do as much as possible to reach our shared goal of giving all parents the first public school of their choice.

We do have some additional concerns that we believe should be addressed as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.

Oppose Obey Amendment Cuts to Obama Reform Initiatives

Oppose Reform-Gutting Obey Amendment to Supplemental Appropriations Bill

Dear Friend of Education Reform:

Last night Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee David Obey (D-WI) filed an amendment to a supplemental appropriations bill to cut funding for key Obama education reform initiatives to pay for an “education jobs” initiative. The amendment will likely be voted on today or tomorrow.

We need your help in getting members to oppose this divisive attempt to pit teacher jobs and salaries against reform efforts that will make sure precious educational resources are spent in a way that ensures all children – regardless of race, country of origin, or zip code – receive a high quality education that prepares them for college and the workforce.

The Obey amendment would cut:

– $500 million from Race to the Top, bringing the total available for state applications already submitted down from $3.4 billion to $2.9 billion;

– $100 million from the Charter Schools Program; and,

– $200 million from the Teacher Incentive Fund.

Call your Member of Congress via the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and tell them you oppose the Obey amendment, and that your are deeply disappointed that House leaders may put members in the position of having either to vote against teacher jobs and salaries or against the quality of education and public school choice options available to schoolchildren.

Tell them that the federal government must keep its promise to states like New York, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Florida, Maryland, and Colorado, that undertook bold education reforms with the understanding that they would get the resources needed to pay for them.

Tell them that you oppose this kind of inside-the-beltway gamesmanship that is out of touch with the collaborative efforts underway in your states and communities between parents, advocates, and other stakeholders, including teachers, to improve the quality of our nation’s public schools.

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